Getting to know Newt Scamander

J.K. Rowling announced yesterday that she would write the script for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, a movie set in New York, some 70-odd years before Harry Potter, and starring Newt Scamander.

You’ve had 24 hours to process the following information:

- Yes, there is wizarding activity in North America. I know it’s never been expressly denied, but since the TriWizard Tournament invited only Durmstrang & Beauxbatons, you could be forgiven for wondering.

- Wizards in the world of the 20s (since, you know, the first HP was actually in the early 90s) -- is it wrong that I’m mostly excited for the wardrobe descriptions? I get unreasonably excited every time we hear about our present-day wizards wearing hoodies. Are cravats going to be even more of a thing?

- Jo is writing the script herself. I’ve always thought she was fantastic with dialogue, which is a big part of the books – not that it was missing in the movies, exactly, but not quite as prevalent and precise in tone. So now we get to see what happens when the language comes from her, unfettered.

- The Kindle Edition of “Fantastic Beasts” is only $4.73 right now.

Here are my biggest questions:

As Pottermore expands the universe of Hogwarts and the wizarding world for us, will we see a different side of the schools? The worlds? A time before "Slytherin" became synonymous with seedy underbellies and "Hufflepuff" synonymous with hapless dorks who will never be true heroes? I’m just saying, some of us maybe overthought the questions issued to us by the Sorting Hat and maybe don’t feel like the houses we were placed in are the most accurate. (Lainey: guess what house Duana got sorted into?) Is this movie going to be just another delight, or a totally new perspective?

Also, I assume that, depending on how old exactly we think certain characters are, we’re going to get to see them in all their Roaring 20s glory, right? What was Flitwick like as a young man about town? It’s too early to meet Harry’s parents but…what about some of those ancestors? Will we be shocked to see who consorts with whom?

Is it time for a reread for you? What will you do to get ready for a whole new side of the Wizarding World?